Will Salt Kill Maggots?

Discourage and prevent flies from hanging around to prevent maggot infestations.

When flies find a hospitable place to hang out, such as a garbage bin, they lay eggs that hatch into maggots. While keeping garbage covered and unattractive to flies can help prevent the problem, you still need to eradicate any maggots that have appeared. But don't reach for a bug bomb; simple table salt is an inexpensive and easy solution.

Why Salt Works

Simply put, salt absorbs water. This is why gardeners sprinkle salt on slugs -- the slimy bugs are composed of mostly water. Salt removes this quickly from their bodies, killing them almost instantly. Maggots have soft bodies with little in the way of outer protection and are susceptible to salt drying them out quickly, as well.

Using Salt as Pesticide

Sprinkle basic table salt over the area infested by maggots. The fly larvae should die shortly. Repeat with another layer of salt if you continue to see movement.

Using Salt as Prevention

Continue to sprinkle salt around the area -- such as inside a garbage bin -- to discourage flies from landing and laying eggs. This can stop future maggot infestations.